Business Directories

ME school networks ‘must back e-learning’

Dubai, November 22, 2012

Educational institutions in the region need to implement networks with attributes that support e-learning capabilities, said an expert.

Customizable e-learning applications and high-speed Internet browsing on individual or small group levels are leading to a more interesting, more in-depth, more personalized learning experience that is a major factor in improving student performance, added Sufian Dweik, regional director, MEMA at Brocade, a leading networking company.

The network must also have the agility to quickly adapt to breakthrough technologies and applications that arrive faster than expected, Dweik said.

No educational institution can afford to rip out and replace its communications network every few years. To provide optimum scalability, an education network must be stable and reliable at its core, able to accommodate enhancements through software upgrades, support a multitude of applications, and seamlessly add new users and new devices.

In addition to providing for efficient, cost-effective network growth, there are numerous other network attributes educators and administrators must consider as they plan to develop or expand their telecommunications networks. To be a successful, performance-enhancing solution, an educational network must provide certain key capabilities.

The most crucial component of educational telecommunications networks is connectivity, more specifically, broadband connectivity, said Dweik.

Not only must the network be accessible to student devices such as laptops and netbooks, but it must provide high-speed connectivity to support multiple bandwidth-intensive applications to dozens of students simultaneously. These applications include Internet browsing, streaming video, video teleconferencing, interactive collaboration, and countless others.

To be the foundation of the new e-learning system, educational networks must be available at all times, according to Dweik.

When a network has a reliability problem, the connected classroom is all too often put out of commission. Learning is disrupted. Students lose focus and teachers are frustrated. Lesson plans that rely on the Internet or e-learning applications may have to revert back to using textbooks and lectures. Online testing may be disrupted. Student performance can suffer. In any school environment, reliability is paramount. – TradeArabia News Service